Razor blade sharpener



April 19, 1938. G, EVANS 1 2,114,919

RAZOR BLADE SHARPENER Filed July 27, 1956 BY whyaw i;

WITNESS I ATTORNEY J-Q'M W 1 Wares" Patented Apr. 19, 1938 STATES PATENT OFFlCE 2,114,919 RAZOR BLADE SHARPENER Griffith Evans, Detroit, Mich. Application July 27, 1936, Serial No. 92,896

2 Claims.

This invention relates to razor blade sharpeners and its general object is to provide a sharpener that is primarily designed for use on safety razor blades to produce a sharp, smooth, keen, cutting edge therefor, in an easy and expeditious manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety razor blade sharpener by which a plurality of blades can be sharpened simultaneously and the blades can be applied and removed with respect thereto, with minimum effort, yet casual removal or displacement is practically impossible.

Another object of the invention'is to provide a safety razor blade sharpener, that includes a container for holding liquid and the inner surface of the wall thereof acts as thesharpening medium, to receive the blades which are held and rotated against the same, with the result the blades are sharpened within the liquid which of courseprevents detrimental heat caused by friction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety razor blade sharpener that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and extremely efficient in operation, use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction'and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the sharpener which forms the subject matter of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken at various planes through the sharpener, with parts in elevation.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the sharpener with parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating a portion of the blade securing means.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be noted that my blade sharpener in the form as shown includes a housing in the form of a container that is provided with a cylindrical body I formed from glass, and a bottom 2 having an annular groove disposed adjacent to the periphery thereof to receive the lower end of the body I, and the lower end is cemented in the groove, as

shown, to provide a leak proof connection between the body and bottom.

The housing likewise includes a cap 3 having an, annular, flange 4 depending from the top thereof, and cemented or otherwise fixed about the upper end of the body I is a band 5 which receives the flange 4 for fitting association therewith, while disposed between the upper edge of the body I and the top of the cap 3 is a gasket 6, to provide a leak proof connection, the gasket having an inner shoulder for cooperation with the flange 4, for removably securing the cap in closed position. Formed on, or otherwise secured to the cap 3 and rising therefrom isan inverted substantially U-shaped frame 1 having a bearing mounted in the bight portion thereof, within which is rotatably mounted a stub'shaft 8 that extends into the housing, through an opening in the top of the cap, asshown in Figure 1, and the inner end of the shaft 8 is provided with square corners for a purpose which will be presently described.

The blade holding and rotating means of my sharpener includes'a sleeve shaft 9 having a socket in the upper end thereof to fittingly receive the square cornered end of the stub shaft 8, and the 'socketed end of the sleeve shaft 9 is mounted for rotation in a collar l0 secured to and depending centrally from the top of the cap. The lower end of the shaft?! is mounted for rotation on the shank H of a stud that includes a bearing collar for the lower end of the shaft 9, and also a threaded portion I2 that is threadedly mounted within and centrally of the bottom 2.

Secured to the sleeve shaft 9 adjacent to the upper and lower ends thereof, is a pair of collars [3 having threaded bores to receive the threaded inner ends of screw pins M in a manner whereby the latter radiate from the sleeve shaft 9, as best shown in Figure 2. These screw pins are provided with heads on the outer edge thereof, and mounted for slidable movement on each pair of superimposed screw pins is a blade receiving plate l5 which is shown as being of elongated rectangular formation, and the plates I?) are urged and held on the outer ends of the screw pins M by coil springs [6 which surround the pins, as shown.

In order to secure the blades to the plates l 5, I provide what may be termed latch means that includes stationary keeper members I! that are fixed to the lower ends of the plates l5 and include upwardly directed ears I8 spaced from the plates to receive one of the ends of the blades between the plates and ears, as best shown in Figure 3. Rotatably mounted at the upper ends of the plates are movable keeper members l9 that likewise are provided with ears 2!] spaced from the plates to receive the upper ends of the blades, and the keeper members l9 have secured thereto handles 2| at the inner ends thereof, with the handles projecting above the plates whereby ready access may be had thereto for rotating the keeper members 19 for securing and releasing the blades with respect to the blade holder, as will be apparent. The keeper members are preferably in the form of collars that extend through openings in the plates l5 adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof to provide bearings for the plates in that the keeper members are mounted on the screw pins M, as best shown in Figure 4.

Cooperating with the keeper members IQ for securing the blades on the outer surfaces of the plates l5 are ribs 22, one for each plate and extending therefrom along the longitudinal center thereof, for the purpose of being received in the usual slot of a blade, as shown, consequently it will be seen that the blades are held against lateral and endwise movement, by the keeper members and the ribs, and the edges of the blades are held in contacting engagement against the inner surface of the body I, by the action of the coil springs 16.

Secured to the stub shaft 8 is a bevel gear 23 that has meshing therewith a bevel gear 24, the latter being fixed to the inner end of a shaft 25 which is mounted in a hub 26 that is formed on and extends laterally from one arm of the frame l, and secured to the outer end of the shaft 25 is a crank handle 21.

In the use of my sharpener, the blades are secured to the blade holder, in the manner described and shown, and the holder with the blades thereon is placed within the housing that has liquid therein, such as water or light oil, of a quantity to cover the blades. The cap is then placed in position, and when the crank handle is operated, it will be obvious that the blades are rotated against the inner surface of the glass body which of course will result in sharpening the same in a manner to provide sharp, smooth, keen, cutting edges thereon, it being obvious that the glass is the sharpening medium and that the liquid reduces friction and eliminates heat caused thereby.

While I have shown and described a crank handle for manually operating the sharpener, it will be obvious that it can be operated by suitable motive power, and in that instance a small electric motor will be connected to the shaft 25 or to the gear 24.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A safety razor blade sharpener comprising a leak proof housing including a glass cylindrical body and adapted to receive liquid, blade attachment means including a shaft mounted for rotation in said body, means radiating from said shaft, blade receiving means mounted for slidable movement on the radiating means, means carried by the blade receiving means at each end thereof frictionally engageable with the sides of the blade for detachably securing blades thereto, spring means engageable with the blade receiving means for urging the blades carried thereby against the inner surface of the glass body, a cap for the housing, and means carried by the cap and received by the shaft for rotating the blade attachment means.

2. A safety razor blade sharpener comprising a housing adapted to receive liquid and including a glass cylindrical body, blade attachment means including a shaft mounted for rotation in said body and removable therefrom, blade receiving plates carried by the shaft, means swingably carried by said plates at each end thereof for detachably mounting a blade to a plate, blade slot receiving ribs on said plates and cooperating with the keeper means for detachably securing blades thereto, spring means engageable with the blade receiving plates for urging the blades in contacting engagement with the glass body, a removable cap for the housing and received by the body, and means carried by the cap for rotating the shaft.

GRIFFITH EVANS. 

